Wolfsburg’s Bosnian international Edin Dzeko, last season’s revelation in the Bundesliga and the player who topped the FTBL world ranking for a lengthy interval, has so far been unable to repeat the fit in the current season: his overall FTBL score has been falling for 3 moths straight now, shedding 60 rating points to drop to its current 166.67 points.

Needless to say, Dzeko has exited the FTBL World Top 23, our list of the world’s top 23 players.

Can game 2 of the World Cup playoff against Portugal mark the turning point for the Bosnian’s ranking fortunes? He will go in with a plank of just 4.5 rating points to beat in the FTBL system, while even a narrow victory will yield 15.45 rating points. If Dzeko, who is a prolific goal scorer in his best form, scores against Portugal, his return in the World Top 23 will be guaranteed.

Dzeko will also have a combined plank of just 55.7 rating points to beat in his next five games, and given that Wolfsburg have won two games straight at home, an improvement in the ranking can be expected of the Bosnian even without victory over Portugal. But who will not love additional rating points in combination with a berth to the World Cup?